Data line disturbance free memory block divided flash memory and microcomputer having flash memory

1. A semiconductor integrated circuit device on a semiconductor chip, comprising: a processing unit; an electrically erasable and programmable nonvolatile memory including memory cells each having a floating gate, the memory cells being capable of storing data; and an erase circuit which electrically erases the data stored in the memory cells, wherein the semiconductor integrated circuit device has a first write mode in which data for a program to be supplied from outside of the semiconductor integrated circuit device is written into ones of the memory cells under control of the processing unit, and wherein the semiconductor integrated circuit device has a second write mode in which data to be externally supplied for a program is written into ones of the memory cells of the semiconductor integrated circuit device under control of an external device to be coupled thereto.

2. A semiconductor integrated circuit device according to claim 1, wherein the nonvolatile memory includes a plurality of memory blocks each of which is a simultaneously erasable unit.

3. A semiconductor integrated circuit device according to claim 2, wherein each memory block has different memory capacities.

4. A semiconductor integrated circuit device comprising: an electrically erasable and programmable nonvolatile memory including memory cells each having a floating gate and being capable of holding information therein, each memory cell having one of a writing condition and an erase condition, and a selection circuit which selects ones of the memory cells; an erase circuit which electrically erases the information held in ones of the memory cells to place the corresponding memory cells in the erase condition; a processing unit; a serial communication circuit; and external terminals, wherein the semiconductor integrated circuit device has (i) a first operation mode in which data to be supplied from outside of the semiconductor integrated circuit device to the serial communication circuit is written into ones of the memory cells selected by the selection circuit under control of the processing unit executing a write control operation so that conditions of the corresponding memory cells are placed in the writing condition based on the data supplied from the serial communication circuit, and (ii) a second operation mode in which data to be supplied from outside of the semiconductor integrated circuit device to the external terminals is written into ones of the memory cells selected by the selection circuit under control of an external circuit to be coupled to the semiconductor integrated circuit device so that the corresponding memory cells are placed in the writing condition based on the data supplied from the external terminals, and wherein the erase circuit is selectively operated at a time when the information held in the memory cells is to be erased, in either the first operation or the second operation mode.

5. A semiconductor integrated circuit device according to claim 4, wherein each of the memory cells includes a single transistor having a two-layer gate structure.

6. A semiconductor integrated circuit device according to claim 4, wherein each of the memory cells includes a single transistor having a first semiconductor region, a second semiconductor region, the floating gate, and a control gate.

7. A semiconductor integrated circuit device according to claim 4, further comprising: a first port coupled to the external terminals; a second port to which an address signal is supplied from the external device in the second operation mode; a data bus coupled to the first port, the serial communication circuit, the processing unit and the nonvolatile memory; and an address bus coupled to the second port, the serial communication circuit, the processing unit and the nonvolatile memory, wherein the data supplied from the serial communication circuit to the data bus is written into ones of the memory cells of the nonvolatile memory according to an address signal supplied to the address bus from the processing unit in the first operation mode, and wherein the data supplied from the external terminals to the data bus via the first port is written into ones of the memory cells of the nonvolatile memory according to an address signal supplied to the address bus from the external device in the second operation mode.

8. A semiconductor integrated circuit device according to claim 6, wherein the nonvolatile memory further comprises: a plurality of word lines coupled to the memory cells so that one word line is coupled to the control gate of one memory cell; a plurality of data lines coupled to the memory cells so that one data line is coupled to the first semiconductor region of one memory cell; and a plurality of source lines coupled to the memory cells so that one source line is coupled to the second semiconductor region of one memory cell, wherein the selection circuit is coupled to the plurality of word and data lines, and wherein the erase circuit is coupled to one or more source lines so as to provide the erase voltage, memory cells coupled to one source line constituting a unit of memory cells to be simultaneously erased.

9. A semiconductor integrated circuit device on a semiconductor substrate comprising: an electrically erasable and programmable nonvolatile memory including memory cells each having a floating gate, and being disposed for storing data therein each memory cell having either a program state or an erase state, and a selection circuit which selects ones of the memory cells; a serial communication circuit; and a first port having inputs for receiving externally generated data and outputs for providing the data, wherein the semiconductor integrated circuit device has (i) a first data path in which data to be supplied from outside of the semiconductor integrated circuit device to the serial communication circuit is written into ones of the memory cells selected by the selection circuit so that the corresponding memory cells are placed in the program state based on the data outputted from the serial communication circuit, and (ii) a second data path in which the data to be supplied from outside of the semiconductor integrated circuit device to the outputs of the first port is written into ones of the memory cells selected by the selection circuit so that the corresponding memory cells are placed in the program state based on the data outputted from the outputs of the first port, and wherein the semiconductor integrated circuit device further comprises an erase circuit which places the corresponding memory cells into the erase state, so that the data stored in the correspondent memory cells which has been written by using the first or the second path is erased.

10. A semiconductor integrated circuit device according to claim 9, wherein the data to be received by the inputs of the first port is applied by an external device to be coupled to the inputs of the first port.

11. A semiconductor integrated circuit device according to claim 9, wherein each memory cell includes a single transistor having a first region in the semiconductor substrate, a second region in the semiconductor substrate and apart from the first region, a first oxide film over a surface of the semiconductor substrate between the first region and the second region, the floating gate over the first oxide film, and a control gate insulatedly over the floating gate via a second oxide film.

12. A semiconductor integrated circuit device according to claim 11, wherein the nonvolatile memory further comprises: a plurality of word lines coupled to the memory cells so that one word line is coupled to the control gate of one memory cell; a plurality of data lines coupled to the memory cells so that one data line is coupled to the first region of one memory cell; and a plurality of source lines coupled to the memory cells so that one source line is coupled to the second region of one memory cell, wherein the selection circuit is coupled to the plurality of word and data lines, and wherein the erase circuit is coupled to the plurality of source lines and provides the erase voltage to one or more source lines when the data stored in the memory cells coupled to said one or more source lines is to be erased.

13. A semiconductor integrated circuit device according to claim 8, further comprising: a processing unit; a second port to which an address signal is supplied from the external device in data writing using the second data path; a data bus coupled to the outputs of the first port, the serial communication circuit, the processing unit and the nonvolatile memory; and an address bus coupled to the second port, the serial communication circuit, the processing unit and the nonvolatile memory, wherein, in a data writing using the first data path, an address signal for specifying an address of the nonvolatile memory to write the data is supplied to the nonvolatile memory from the processing unit via the address bus, and wherein, in the data writing using the second data path, an address signal for specifying an address of the nonvolatile memory to write the data is supplied to the nonvolatile memory from the second port via the address bus.

14. A semiconductor integrated circuit device according to claim 13, wherein each of the memory cells includes a single transistor having a source region, a drain region, the floating gate, and a control gate.

15. A semiconductor integrated circuit device according to claim 14, wherein the nonvolatile memory further comprises: a plurality of word lines coupled to the memory cells so that one word line is coupled to the control gate of one memory cell; a plurality of data lines coupled to the memory cells so that one data line is coupled to the drain region of one memory cell; and a plurality of source lines coupled Co the memory cells so that one source line is coupled to the source region of one memory cell, wherein the selection circuit is coupled to the plurality of word and data lines, and wherein the erase circuit is coupled to one or more source lines so as to provide the erase voltage, the memory cells coupled to one source line constituting a unit of memory cells to be simultaneously erased.

16. A semiconductor integrated circuit device having a first operation mode and a second operation mode, comprising: a processing unit; a first external terminal to which an address signal is supplied from outside of the semiconductor integrated circuit device in the second operation mode; an electrically erasable and programmable nonvolatile memory including memory cells each having a floating gate, each memory cell has one of a writing condition and an erase condition, and a selection circuit which selects ones of the memory cells, wherein the nonvolatile memory receives, in the first operation mode, an address signal from the processing unit executing an operation for erasing data stored in ones of the memory cells and writing data supplied from outside of the semiconductor integrated circuit device into ones of the memory cells in the nonvolatile memory according to the address signal, and wherein the nonvolatile memory receives, in the second operation mode, the address signal from the first external terminal to write data supplied from outside of the semiconductor integrated circuit device into ones of the memory cells in the nonvolatile memory according to the address signal; and an erase circuit which places the corresponding memory cells into the erase condition, so that the data which has been written into the corresponding memory cells using either the first operation mode or the second operation mode is erased.

17. A semiconductor integrated circuit device according to claim 16, wherein each memory cell comprises a single transistor having a first semiconductor region, a second semiconductor region, the floating gate, and a control gate.

18. A semiconductor integrated circuit device according to claim 17, wherein the nonvolatile memory further comprises: a plurality of word lines coupled to the memory cells so that one word line is coupled to the control gate of one memory cell; a plurality of data lines coupled to the memory cells so that one data line is coupled to the first semiconductor region of one memory cell; and a plurality of source lines coupled to the memory cells so that one source line is coupled to the second semiconductor region of one memory cell, wherein the selection circuit is coupled to the plurality of word and data lines, and wherein the erase circuit is coupled to the plurality of source lines and provides the erase voltage to one or more source lines when the information stored in the memory cells coupled to said one or more source lines is to be erased.

19. A semiconductor integrated circuit device according to claim 16, further comprising: a second external terminal to which a mode control signal is supplied; and a control circuit responsive to the mode control signal supplied to the second external terminal and outputting an operation mode signal so as to bring the semiconductor integrated circuit device into one of the first and second operation modes; and a gate circuit responsive to the operation mode signal and controlling whether the address signal to be supplied to the nonvolatile memory is from the processing unit or from the first external terminal.

20. A semiconductor integrated circuit device according to claim 16, further comprising: a further memory which stores therein a program to be executed by the processing unit being in the first operation mode, wherein the processing unit executes the operation for erasing and writing data from and into ones of the memory cells by executing the program.

21. A semiconductor integrated circuit device according to claim 20, wherein the nonvolatile memory stores therein the program, and wherein the program is transferred to the further memory in response to the semiconductor integrated circuit device being set in the first operation mode.

22. A semiconductor integrated circuit device on a semiconductor substrate and having a first operation mode and a second write operation mode, comprising: external terminals to which address signals are supplied from outside of the semiconductor integrated circuit device in the second operation mode; a processing unit; and a nonvolatile memory including a plurality of electrically erasable and programmable nonvolatile memory cells each of which includes a single transistor, the single transistor having a first region in the semiconductor substrate, a second region in the semiconductor substrate and apart from the first region, a first oxide film over a surface of the semiconductor substrate between the first and second regions, a floating gate over the first oxide film, and a control gate insulatedly over the floating gate via a second oxide film, each memory cell having either a writing state or an erase state, wherein the nonvolatile memory receives, during the first operation mode, address signals from the processing unit executing an operation for erasing data stored in the nonvolatile memory or writing data supplied from outside of the semiconductor integrated circuit device into the nonvolatile memory, wherein the nonvolatile memory receives, during the second operation mode, the address signals from the external terminal to write data supplied from outside of the semiconductor integrated circuit device into the nonvolatile memory, and wherein the semiconductor integrated circuit device further comprises an erase circuit which places the corresponding memory cells into the erase state, so that data which has been written in the corresponding memory cells by using either the first operation mode or the second operation mode is erased.

23. A semiconductor integrated circuit device according to claim 22, further comprising: external terminals to which mode control signals are supplied; a control circuit responsive to the mode control signals and bringing the semiconductor integrated circuit device into one of the first and second operation modes on the basis of the mode control signals.

24. A semiconductor integrated circuit device according to claim 23, further comprising: a gate circuit coupled to receive an operation mode signal from the control circuit and controlling whether the address signal to be supplied to the nonvolatile memory is from the processing unit or from the external terminal.

25. A semiconductor integrated circuit device according to claim 22, further comprising: a further memory which stores therein a program to be executed by the processing unit being in the first operation mode, wherein the processing unit executes the operation for erasing and writing data from and into the nonvolatile memory by executing the program.

26. A semiconductor integrated circuit device according to claim 25, wherein the nonvolatile memory stores therein the program, and wherein the program is transferred to the further memory in response to the semiconductor integrated circuit device being set in the first operation mode.

27. A semiconductor integrated circuit device according to claim 22, wherein the nonvolatile memory further comprises: a plurality of word lines coupled to the memory cells so that one word line is coupled to the control gate of one memory cell; a plurality of data lines coupled to the memory cells so that one data line is coupled to the first region of one memory cell; and a plurality of source lines coupled to the memory cells so that one source line is coupled to the second region of one memory cell, wherein the selection circuit is coupled to the plurality of word and data lines, wherein the erase circuit is coupled to the plurality of source lines and provides the erase voltage to one or more source lines when the information stored in the memory cells coupled to said one more source lines is to be erased, and wherein the memory cells coupled to one source line constitutes a unit of memory cells to be simultaneously erased.

28. A semiconductor integrated circuit device on a semiconductor substrate and having a first operation mode and a second operation mode, comprising: a first external terminal to which a mode signal for controlling an operation mode of the semiconductor integrated circuit device is supplied so that the semiconductor integrated circuit device is selectively brought into the first or the second operation mode; a second external terminal; a processing unit; an electrically erasable and programmable nonvolatile memory including a plurality of nonvolatile memory cells each of which is constructed of a single transistor having a floating gate, each memory cell having either a writing state or an erase state; wherein the nonvolatile memory receives, in the first operation mode, an address signal from the processing unit executing an operation for writing data supplied from outside of the semiconductor integrated circuit device into the nonvolatile memory or rewriting data stored in the nonvolatile memory into new data supplied from outside of the semiconductor integrated circuit device after electrically erasing the data stored in the nonvolatile memory, and wherein the nonvolatile memory receives, in the second operation mode, the address signal from the second external terminal to write data supplied from the outside of the semiconductor integrated circuit device into the nonvolatile memory; and an erase circuit which places the corresponding memory cells into the erase state, so that data which has been written in said corresponding memory cells is erased.

29. A semiconductor integrated circuit device according to claim 28, further comprising: a further memory which stores therein a program to be executed by the processing unit being in the first operation mode, wherein the processing unit executes the operation for writing data into the nonvolatile memory or rewriting data stored in the nonvolatile memory into new data after electrically erasing the data stored in the nonvolatile memory by executing the program.

30. A semiconductor integrated circuit device according to claim 29, wherein the nonvolatile memory stores therein the program, and wherein the program is transferred to the further memory in response to the semiconductor integrated circuit device being set into the second operation mode.

31. A semiconductor integrated circuit device according to claim 28, wherein each memory cell includes: a first region in the semiconductor substrate, a second region in the semiconductor substrate and apart from the first region, a first oxide film over a surface of the semiconductor substrate between the first and second regions, the floating gate over the first oxide film, and a control gate insulatedly over the floating gate via a second oxide film, wherein the nonvolatile memory further comprises: a plurality of word lines coupled to the memory cells so that one word line is coupled to the control gate of one memory cell; a plurality of data lines coupled to the memory cells so than one data line is coupled to the first region of one memory cell; a plurality of source lines coupled to the memory cells so that one source line is coupled to the second region of one memory cell; and a selection circuit coupled to the plurality of word and data lines to select ones of the memory cells in response to the address signal during the writing in the first operation mode and in the second operation mode, and wherein the erase circuit provides an erase voltage to one or more source lines so that the memory cells coupled to said one or more source lines are placed into the erase state from the writing state.